Shaken and Stirred
by Nubian Queen
Summary: How DID the Commodore and Governor find out Elizabeth had been taken by the pirates? And what happened once they knew? Just a little filler piece on what I think may have occured...
1. Chapter 1

_This is just a little something that popped in my head. A bit of a filler piece and a character study as well because I LOVE Norrington and think he got royally shafted by the storyline._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She ran hard, the sound of her leather shoes slapping the cobbled stones and dirt a dissonant accord. Even so, it took her near as she could figure a good half hour or more at least to make her way from the governor's mansion to the fort. Navigating thru the insanity of town, since there just was no good way around, had been terrifying. The pirates were everywhere. She panted and prayed and hid when necessary, figuring it would do her nor her mistress much good were she to get nabbed or worse as well.

Add to that, running hither and thither at best speed was not something she did frequently. By the time Estrella made her wheezing way up the incline to the fort, she was nearly past her endurance.

"The...gov'ner.."she gasped to the first sentry she reached. "must...see..." she leaned over and began to retch.

The soldier eyed her dubiously. " 'ere, now, miss. Wot's the fuss? We's in tha midst o' battle now. Not the place fer leddies."

She reached up and grabbed the nearest thing she could, which happened to be his uniform sleeve. "must...help! Gov'ner's...daughter.."

The soldier snapped to then. " 'ere, wot's tha now? What with tha gov'nors daugh'er?"

To his credit, the soldier didn't waste any more time talking but grasped her arm and practically frog marched her into the fort. Estrella struggled valiantly to keep up but the endurance threshold she had been hovering near had been solidly crossed and she folded gracelessly forward and began to heave again into the dirt as she struggled to regain her breath.

The soldier began pressing her to get up.

 _Lackwit!_ she thought uncharitably. _reckon I_ ' _d not be sittin in tha dirt ifin I could move!_

Chivvy her as he might, Estrella simply could not yet go any further.

It wasn't very long before their little band attracted the attention of a senior officer, who promptly strode over to them.

"Hadley!" he barked, "what in God's name is this woman doing here?"

"Sir!" the hapless soldier snapped to attention, "she says she's news of the Gov'ner's daughter, sir!"

"What? Girl, is this true?"

Estrella wilted under the gimlet stare the lieutenant turned on her. Having recovered herself somewhat, she struggled to stand. The officer kindly leaned over and offered her a hand.

"Now, girl, what's this about the governors daughter?"

"Please sir, I'm Miss Elizabeth's maid. They've took her sir! The pirates have taken Miss Elizabeth! I mun tell his lordship!"

The officer, like his subordinate before him, grasped Estrella's arm and hurried her thru the fort.

Even though the bombardment seemed to be mostly over, soldiers were still running here and there, shouting orders and expletives in equal parts, a complete confusion to her untrained eye. However, as they emerged briefly onto the battlements Estrella looked out and saw the why. A dark, ghostly looking ship, that could only belong to the pirates, was quickly tacking it's way out of the harbor waters of Port Royal and into open sea.

"Oh, sir! We mun hurry!"

The officer had apparently seen the same as she for he barked at the nearest soldier for the direction of the Commodore. Informed, he took off at a pace that had her near running to keep up.

There, just ahead, Estrella saw the tall form of Commodore Norrington barking orders to a handful of men surrounding him. NEVER had she been so glad to see the imposing gentleman. Surely this commanding figure would know what was to be done. Before the soldiers accompanying her could do aught, she tore away and ran towards him.

"Sir! Sir! Oh, Commodore, sir!"

Norrington's head whipped around at the completely untoward sound of a woman's voice calling to him. In his fort. His gaze sharply focused then narrowed on the woman running pell mell towards him and the two soldiers right at her heels. She looked rather familiar...

Estrella stopped right before him, teetering dangerously at the sudden halt to her forward motion, causing several of the surrounding men to jerk reflexively forward as if to catch her. The Commodore put out a hand, catching her at the shoulder and simultaneously halting and steadying her. Turning a hard eye to the two men who huffed up behind her he asked, "What is the meaning of this and why is there a woman in the fort during a siege?"

Estrella's two escorts gulped almost comically in sync at the low, measured tone, a dangerous sound that any man in the fort had learned well meant instant obedience.

Estrella, however, had no such experience. Again, before her escort could respond, she gasped out, "Oh, God in Heaven, sir, the pirates! They did come and take me mistress, my Miss Elizabeth, awa' with them!"

To anyone unfamiliar with Commodore James Norrington, and that would be most persons, this pronouncement would have seemed to garner hardly any reaction. However, to Lieutenants Gillete and Groves, who had served with him nearly a decade and were as close to friends as they could claim the Commodore had, and to Estrella, who was close enough to tell, the reaction was intense. His posture tensed, hunched, ever so slightly, as if absorbing a blow. His hand tightened, for just a moment, bruisingly hard on Estrella's shoulder as his pupils widened and his eyes grew glassy with shock. His normally healthy color faded to an ashen hue and, for the briefest instant, the hand that ever rested on the sword hilt at his side trembled. Then, he blinked. Swallowed...hard. And very deliberately unclenched his hand from the trembling maid's shoulder.

All this occurred in such a brief period that those unfamiliar with the Commodore would simply assume nothing untoward HAD occurred. But of the three persons present who were closest and had seen, one was now in absolutely no doubt about the regard he held for a certain young lady she served and the other two exchanged glances, concerned and wary as to what effect this news would have upon their commanding officer and friend.

"Lt. Gillete, find the Governor, bring him to me," he rapped out as he began striding purposefully into the fort, his coterie of staff following in his wake.

"Lt. Groves, find someone to escort this Miss home and then gather the senior staff and assemble in the war room. Lt. Harlow, gather a crew to begin assessing the damage to the fort and and accounting for the dead. I want reports in an hours time." he finished as he stepped into his office and shut the door.

The three lieutenants exchanged glances and then Lt. Harlow turned and strode off, barking out orders as he went. Gillete and Groves gave each other a more significant glance and then Gillete hurried off to retrieve the Governor from the secured room he had earlier been escorted to.

Lt. Groves then turned to the disheveled maid beside him and offered her a small bow. "Miss, if you will follow me, I will see about acquiring you that escort."

She fell into step just slightly to the side and behind him and hurried after the imposing young man as he set off. Still pondering what all she had seen, she mused, half aloud to herself, "He really DOES care for 'er, don't he?"

Lt, Groves, unsure if he was meant to respond or not, murmured only a soft, "Indeed, miss" as he quickened his pace.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Governor Swann hurried after the young lieutenant before him, his anxiety at near apoplectic levels. Having only been told that the Commodore wished to see him immediately, his imagination and gone into overdrive, imagining everything from a fatal wound to the Commodore to the necessity for imminent surrender of the city.

However, what awaited him was far worse.

Having reached the Commodore's office, his escort fell back, allowing the Governor to precede him. With barely a knock for courtesy, the governor opened the door, ready to swoop in only to land his eyes upon the shocking sight of the Commodore, on his knees, heaving into what appeared to be the rubbish bin.

With surprising perspicacity, he stepped swiftly in and shut the door, blocking the lieutenant in the halls view of his commanding officer in so compromising a situation. After a moment, he looked up, and the wretchedness in his gaze caused the older man to tremble inwardly. Whatever it was, it was most assuredly bad.

With surprising baldness, he rasped, "They've taken her. The pirates have taken Elizabeth."

The trembling turned into outright shaking as the governor lowered his suddenly ancient feeling body into the chair standing in front of the desk.

In a voice that shook nearly as badly as the rest of him, he asked, "What can we do?"

The younger man heaved himself up and into the chair behind the desk, then leaned forward onto it, propping his head in his hands as he ran them into his dark hair, knocking his wig askew and looking as manic as the governor was beginning to feel.

"I don't know," he whispered. He looked up searchingly into the other man's face, tears beginning to cloud his green eyes, "I don't know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Weatherby Swann had been many things in his 54 years. Including a friend to the younger man before him. He remembered the first time he had made the acquaintance of the young James Norrington, at a party his father, Lord Norrington, had been hosting. The then fresh-faced and newly commissioned Lieutenant Norrington had looked so uncomfortable. With his fine looks and in his brand-spankingly new regimentals, he was attracting quite a lot of attention form the petticoat crowd…not particularly desired attention if the look on the young mans face was anything to go by. Deciding to take pity on the boy, he had wandered over and engaged him in a discussion of battle tactics, effectively scattering the pea gooses that had collected.

The young man had heaved an almost visible sigh of relief and then grinned shyly at him.

"Thank you, sir," he offered.

Weatherby waved it off.

"Think nothing of it, my boy. The ladies can be a bit overwhelming at times, especially if not used to it."

He took a moment to study the boy..no..man in front of him before offering a short bow.

"Lord Weatherby Swann, at your service, sir."

The young man bowed smartly back, "Lieutenant Sir James Norrington, pleased to meet you sir."

Weatherby smiled hugely, "HaHA, I thought you must be Nevvie's boy! Quite grown up since last I saw you!"

The 'boy' in question grinned, then shrugged his shoulders in a different sort of move.

"Indeed, my lord. Although I cannot say that I remember that previous meeting."

"Indeed I should say not, since you must have been only all of 5 or 6 years of age at the time! And quite the handful you were, oh yes indeed! Your father was quite pressed to keep up with you."

Jams grimaced, an odd look coming over his face as he flashed a glance to where his father stood, immersed in conversation with several cronies.

"Yes, I imagine so." he murmured.

 _So, like that is it?_ Weatherby took a long drink form the goblet in his hand and then set it decisively on the occasional table beside them.

"Have you ever been to any of the countries colonies, lieutenant?"

James cocked his head, "No, sir, I cannot say as I have yet, although I imagine I shall soon be deployed to one or another of them."

Weatherby then began to regal him with a tale the land manager of one of his friend's had related to that man regarding a funny happening at one of his island estates.

Thus began an unlikely sort of friendship and the passing of a most convivial evening. As the months passed, Weatherby found himself quite enjoying the companionship of the much younger man. His awkward but earnest friendship endeared him to the older man and made him occasionally wonder what it would have been to have a son. For without doubt, he loved his Elizabeth, doted on her above all things, but, with all, she was still only a female, and there were things that she simply could not be expected to know…much less discuss over port and cigars.

He felt for James. Understood, from his knowledge of the lad's father, jut why he seemed to find his own friendship so alluring. A stern man at the best of times, Lord Neville Norrington had seemed to lose what little softness he may have once possessed with the death at sea of his second wife and daughter, James' mother and sister. He mused, from time to time, that it must have been at the very least, a grim household to live in. It was no wonder the boy had escaped to the military… he was only surprised that his father had been convinced to purchase the lad his commission in the navy, all things considered.

But, James was the second son, there being a first, much older son born to Neville's first wife, who had died with that boy's birth. Harry was 14 years James' senior and had never been much interested in his younger brother's life.

Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, James had taken to the Navy like the proverbial duck to the waters, no pun intended. Possessing a seemingly natural aptitude for the life of a seaman, coupled with his intelligence, tenacity and an almost utterly unflappable nature, it was no surprise to Lord Swann that the young man began to write to him of commendations and praise from his superiors, always couched in the humblest of language though. He was always sure to offer his sincerest congratulations, sensing that his young friend had need of this fatherly approbation from him…

It was no coincidence that had seen lieutenant Norrington on the same ship as the Governor when he traveled to Port Royal, nor had it been one that saw him given a post at the fort there, the governor's sly hand seeing to it that James had the chance to move as highly up as those selfsame traits he had always admired would take him.

And he had certainly taken the opportunity and turned it into gold. Youngest Commodore of the Fleet in near 30 years. Weatherby was uncommonly proud of the lad…

As he allowed his tear-glazed gaze to now focus up the shaken, and shaking, younger man before him, he prayed with all that was within him that those qualities he had so admired in the Commodore would be up the unfathomable task that lay before them now…

He was the only one who could bring Elizabeth home.


End file.
